Storage-battery electrode and process of making it.



W. MORRISON. STORAGE BATTERY ELECTRODE AND PROGESS OF MAKING IT APPLIUATION FILED OUT. 5, 1911.

Patented Apr; 2, 1912.

WILLIAM uonmsori', or nss iaomns, iowA.

- I T 11 hom, it may mam-z,

Be itsknown that I, \VILIJAiI lllonmsoia,

axcitizen ofthe United States, residing-at DesMoines, inthe county of Polk and-State of 'Iowa, have invented certainnew and useful Improvemen s in; Storage-Battery Electrodes and Prociisses of Making Them, of which the following isa specification.

In United States Letters I Patent No. 976,092, granted Ito'me November 15, 1910, I have illustrated a reversible battery employing an alkaline-electrolyte, in which the active material of the negative-pole elec trodes is formed into cylindrical rods, externally supported by concentric tubes of heavy paper and'woven asbestos, and by a wire wound helic'ally upon the asbestos; According to the present invention, I support the active material of such electrodes byfirst inclosing it-in a sheath of vegetable parchment resistant to an alkaline solution, and then helically winding on the sheath a strip of wire gauze, with its adjacent edges overlapping or intermeshed.

Two constructions are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which'- Figure 1 is a. side elevation of an electrode having the wire gauze strip woundwith overlapping edges, a port-ion being broken out and the parchment sheath and wire gauze wrapping being partially removed to show the active materlal and conductors therein; Fig. 2 is aside elevation of an electrode having the wire gauze strip wound with inter-' meshed edges, a portion. being broken out and the ends being shown in axial section on the line II-II of Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the lower end of the second electrode, on the line IIIIII offorated plug 2 of insulating material, for

example parafiined wood or vulcanite, fits closely upon the rod near its upper end, and a similar plug 3 incloses the lower end of the i rod. A'series or perforated copper washers 4 are strung at intervals on the rod, making good electrical contact with it. The active material 5, for example a mixture of zinc chromlte, or other zinc-chromlum-oxygen compound, and oxid of mercury,is a cylindrical body molded and compressed upon the central rod and washers.

The construction thus far described is.

that se? i STORAGE-BATTERY ELECTRODE am) PROCESS- or "MAK-INGf 1r.

forth my specified earlier' patent. Inuthe presentv electrode, the active material is externally supported by aisheath fiiof vegetable parchment, for example a rectangular sheet rolled tightly thereon to form Lthree concentric layers, and by a strip 7 of wire: gauze, preferably zinc-plated iron winegauze, wound helically on. the sheath with its adjacent edgesove1'lapping. In applying this,- strip, one end is first secured to the plug 3 by a tack The strip-is then rolled once upon itself and over the tack, is then wound helically, with.

engaged slightly overlappin edges 9, over thecnt-lre length of the active material,- is

passed onto and initially secured'to the upper.

plug 2 by a tack 10, and is then rolled once around this plug and over the tack 10, its

tacks 11.

The electrode illustrated in Fig. 2 is iden t'ical with the one ,previosuly described, except that the wire gauze strip 7 is wound free end being then permanent-lysecuredby with engaged intermeshed edges 9', making a fiat oint. For this purpose, one longi tu'dinal wire is previously removed from each edge of the strip,.allowing the ends of the cross wires toproject. This electrodetherefore has a smooth cylindrical surface,

free from the helical rib which is caused by overlapping edges. This strip may also be tightlywound in place under less tension than when the edges are overlapped: The lnt'ermeshing of the ends of the cross wires prevents successive turns of the strip from shifting peripherally. In order to prevent rotation of the plugs 2 and 3 on the rod 1, the ends 12 of the rod are swaged to a square or other polygonal form, and the plugs are provided with square apertures of the same size to fit them.

The sheath of vegetable parchment permits free access of the battery electrolyte to the active material but entirely preventsthe outward escape of any particles thereof. It substantially insulates the wire gauze from the active material, so that, in charging the battery, the hydrogen ions are not liberated on the wire gauze but on the copper rod and washers, thereby efi'ectively reducing the active material. The wound strip of wire gauze constitutes an efli'cient support and armor for the sheath and active material, preventing the electrode from bulging and deforming as the battery is charged and discharged. The gauze contacts with the eaa pr 191 2. g

parchment at comparatively few points, or transverse wire be- 1 wires 'are thus free, to receive any electro lytic or other deposit over nearly their entire surface, thereby holding any deposit or sediment and preventing it from settling to the bottom of the battery vessel.

I claim:

'1. A storage-battery electrode, comprisin a support and conductor, active materia thereon, and wire auze surrounding but electrically insulate from said active material.

2. A negative-pole storage-battery electrode, comprising a support and conductor, active material thereon, a porous envelop inclosing said active material, and wire gauze surrounding said envelop.

3. A negative-pole electrode for storage batteries having alkaline electrolytes, comprising a support and conductor, active material thereon, a porous envelop of vegetable parchment resistant to alkali inclosing said active material, and wire gauze surrounding said envelop.

4. A storage-battery electrode, comprising a body of active material and a helicallywound strip of wire gauze inclosing said active material, the adjacent edges of said strip being intermeshed.

5. A storage-battery electrode, comprising a body of active material, a porous envelop inclosing said active material, and a strip of wire gauze helically wound on said envelop.

6. A storage-battery electrode, comprising a body of active material, a porous envelop inclosing said active material, and a strip of wire gauze helically wound on said envelop, with its adjacent edges engaged.

7. A storage-battery electrode, comprising a body of active material, a porous envelop 'inclosing said active material, and a strip of wire gauze helically wound on said envelop, with its adjacent edges intermeshed.

8. A storage-battery electrode, comprising a body of active material, a sheath of vegetable parchment inclosing said active material, and a strip of wire auze helically wound on said sheath, with its adjacent edges intermeshed.

9. A storage-battery electrode, comprising a body of active material, a sheath of vegetable parchment inclosing said active material, and a strip of zinc-plated iron-ware gauze helicall wound on said sheath, with its adjacent e ges intermeshed. 10. A storage-battery electrode, comprismg a metal rod having squared ends, insulatlng plugs havin square openings seated on said squared en s, active material on said rod between said plugs, and a permeable sheath on said active material, extending over and secured to said plugs.

11. In the process of making storage-battery electrodes, the steps which consist in applying the active material to a support and conductor, and helically winding and securing a strip of wire gauze thereon, with its adjacent edges engaged.-

12. In the process of making storage-battery electrodes, the steps which consist in applying the active material to a support and conductor, and helically'winding and securing a strip of wire gauze thereon, with its adjacent edges intermeshed.

13. In the process of making storage-battery electrodes, the steps which consist in applying the active material to a support and conductor, inclosing said active material in a porous envelop, and helically winding and securing a strip of wire gauze on said envelop, with its adjacent edges eng l In the process of making storage-battery electrodes, the steps which consist in applying the active material to a support and conductor, inclosing said active niaterial in a porous envelop, and helically winding and securing a strip of wire gauze on said envelop, with its adjacent edges intermeshed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MORRISON.

Witnesses:

N. P. LEONARD, E. DANIELS.

Corrections in Letters Patent No. 1,021,989.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,021,989, granted April 2, 1912,

upon the application of W'illiam Morrison, of Des Moines, Iowa, for an improvementin Storage-Battery Electrodes ami Processes of Making Them, errors appear in the printed specilimtion requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 78, for the W0 .previoeuly readpre'viomw; page 2, line 57, for the compound word iron-ware read iron -wire; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record o f thecase in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of May, A. D., 1912. [SEAIa] c. c. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

